GM72003-WG AUSTIN 1ST SERIES ARMOURED CAR

The Austin Armored Car was a British armored car from the First World War. The drive was provided by a single engine Austin 50 hp. It was armed with two Maxim or Hotchkiss machine guns. The Austin Armored Car was created as a result of the actions of the Russian military mission, which went to Great Britain at the end of 1914 to obtain licenses or ready-made armored cars armed with a machine gun in a rotating turret. The Austin company met these expectations, developing a project of a completely new vehicle of this class - the Austin Armored Car. The Russian army ordered ready copies of this car in 1914-1916, and in 1916 a decision was made to produce these cars in Russia, which, however, started only in 1918 and lasted until the beginning of 1920. Several variants of this vehicle were created in the course of production. The first mass-produced version was the Mk I or Austin I Series. In 1915, the production of the Mk II (or Austin II Series) version was started, with a more powerful engine and slightly reinforced armor. A year later - in 1916 - the Mk III or Austin III Series model was put into production with a slightly changed shape of the hull and improved turret armor. In 1918, a version of the Mk IV or Austin IV Series appeared, which had a reinforced suspension. Cars of this type were used in the Russian, Soviet and British armies. They fought on the Eastern Front in 1915-1917, in the Polish-Bolshevik War of 1919-1921, and on the Western Front in 1918.